Maybe it's Fate
by Ummmyeah
Summary: OK, second chapter up. It's going to turn into the story of how Haruko (Raharu) and Atomsk meet. Rated to be safe, even though there's really nothing explicit...yet.
1. At the Academy

I don't own FLCL or any characters. I don't even have the DVDs, so don't sue me. You won't get any money anyway, I'm broke.

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Author's note: I'm really new to FFnet, so bear with me. I'm a really big fan of the series, and I figured that I should at least _try_ to make a fanfic about it. I probably have many of my facts screwed up, but many of you who will read this probably don't have the show all figured out, either. Oh, and I used Haruko's "real" name for this. I'm pretty sure it's Raharu, but if it isn't, tell me and I'll change it.

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Italics means thought. Unless I use it for emphasis.

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Name: Haruhara Raharu

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Cadet #: 73226

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Preferred Weapon: Bass Guitar

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Test Scoring:

Intelligence – 73/100

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Reaction Time – 99/100

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Weapon Accuracy – 94/100

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Overall Skill in Battle – 97/100

Comments: While her intelligence is startlingly below normal, Haruhara has unparalleled skill in combat situations. Even under heavy fire, she is able to keep her cool, yet act quickly enough to resolve nearly any situation. It is our recommendation that she be graduated from the Academy as soon as can be arranged.

A girl of twenty looked was looking at this file. A certain pink-haired, bass wielding girl of twenty. The more she looked at it, the happier she became. Especially the bottom part. _It is our recommendation that she be graduated from the Academy as soon as can be arranged._ Those words resounded in her head like the sound of a guitar did after you were hit in the head in one of the battle simulators. She, Haruhara Raharu, was going to graduate and become a fully-fledged member of the Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood. After only two years!

Most students at the Academy spent at least three years of grueling training to graduate. She had spent most of her time goofing off and riding her vespa around the halls, and she graduated in only _two years_. Granted, she had done pretty well in most of her tests, but this was just unheard of.

There was a noise behind her in the dark, and she turned and left before anyone discovered her.

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"…And you'll notice the patient's lack of a brain. When the N.O. portal is opened, it actually…" _God, this guy could talk forever_ thought Raharu. She was sitting through another boring lecture about something she'd never need to use as a space cop. She idly doodled an open head with nothing inside it. Letting out a huge sigh, she put her head down on the desk and tried to take a nap. Maybe the teacher wouldn't notice. "And what do you think happens next, Ms. Haruhara?" No such luck.

"Uh…" she searched around for an answer, but she seemed suddenly devoid of a brain.

Suddenly, a voice came from the PA, "Haruhara Raharu, please report to the Captain immediately." _Saved by the bell._

"Fooly Cooly!" she yelled the first thing that came to mind, before running out the door. Once outside the room, she was safe. For now, anyway. Had the Captain discovered that she had broken into his office and looked at her file? Hopefully not. She had been as careful as she knew how to be, and she hadn't disturbed anything. 

When she finally reached the place of last night's trespasses, the Captain's all-too-cheery secretary said, "The Captain will be with you in a moment," with her best happy pill induced smile.

"O…K…" said Raharu, with a quizzical look on her face. (AN: Just imagine someone so happy that it can make Haruko ill at ease) She took a seat across from the secretary, making sure that she was facing her. That's not the kind of person you want your back to.

After about five minutes, the secretary perked up (a seemingly impossible feat) and said, "You can go in now." Raharu stood up, and made her way to the office door, making sure to face the happy demon the whole way. The happy demon sat at her desk and smiled away at thin air, forgetting Raharu's presence the moment she was out of sight.

Raharu couldn't help but stand in awe of the Captain's office. Actually, it was quite a normal office, except for the gigantic window behind the Captain. The window offered a view of the entire Milky Way galaxy, which they were slowly orbiting. Tearing her eyes from the scene, she forced herself to look down at the Captain. He wasn't old, but he wasn't young. His hair was starting to recede, but she chose not to tell him that at the moment, especially since she might be in trouble to begin with.

He sat there a moment, typing on his computer, the one that Raharu had used last night, until he gave a satisfied nod and turned his head to her. "You know, I could have you expelled. And I have half a mind to do just that."

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No point in acting like I don't know what he's talking about thought Raharu to herself. "Hey, I was just wondering how I was doing," she said in an innocent little voice. "And it looks like I wasn't doing half bad."

"No, you _weren't_."

"Did you say 'weren't?' Oh please, oh please, oh please don't expel me!" She said jumping all over him like only Haruko can do.

Finally able to wrestle her off, the Captain responded, "No, I'm not going to expel you. I'm taking your instructor's advice." He opened up a drawer in his desk and pulled out a piece of paper, then slid it over to her.

She picked it up, and scanned it for a second. "This…this is a diploma. You mean I _actually_ graduated?" She suddenly had on a cheerleader uniform with a large "P!" on it, and she was dancing around. "I graduated, I graduated, I gra-gra-gra-gra-graduated!"

The Captain gave her an odd look before saying, "Yes, you did. You should start packing soon. You're expected to report in to the Galaxy Space Police Headquarters by noon tomorrow for your first job. Good luck, Miss Haruhara."

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AN: Well, I've finally got _that_ done. Review please, tell me if it's good, bad, or just ok. I'll continue it if you guys actually enjoy it, but if you think I should abandon it, then just say so.


	2. Familiar faces

Disclaimer's on the first chapter. Oh, and the new thing in this one that I don't own is Stavromula Beta, a planet made up by Douglas Adams (R.I.P.). I'm not the greatest at creating names for things, so I borrowed from my favorite author.

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Author's note: Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming. And as for Haruko/Raharu, I know that she's a little off, but I guess I'm trying to put it into the perspective of two years before FLCL. Who knows, maybe the events in this story will be the source of Haruko's weirdness during the show.

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Italics means thought, unless it's used for emphasis or other obvious purposes.

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Name: Haruhara Raharu

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Officer #: 73867

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Preferred Weapon: Bass Guitar

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Rank: Space Patrol Trainee

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Missions Completed: 0

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Current Mission: N/A

Comments: None.

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A man was looking at this. A man who had had enough to deal with today already. The more he read it, the angrier he became. Especially that middle part. _Space Patrol Trainee_. Every time he heard the word 'trainee,' it was like someone scratching their nails down a chalkboard. 

He looked from the computer screen to the pink-haired girl standing in front of his desk, and then back again. He looked at her again, and then said, "You must be this prodigy kid that the Academy sent over. I don't care who are, to me you're just another little punk who wants to be a big, bad space cop." He opened up a drawer in his desk, then pulled out coffee and donuts. He picked out a donut with pink frosting and started munching on it like there was no tommorrow. 

"Yeah, I am," said Raharu bluntly. She had her bass strapped around her back, and she was about ready to pull it out and sock him. This was the chief, though, and she couldn't afford to screw up that badly on her first day.

The Chief stopped his ravenous feasting to say, "I suppose you want a job, then."

"Well, yeah, that's why I'm here," she said, trying not to be rude to her new boss.

"Good. Go out there and find officer Amarao, and tell him that you are the new recruit. Tag along with him for his next assignment, and I'll have him tell me whether you are worthy of a badge," he said, flipping out his own shiny badge, then polishing it with his tie.

"Fair enough," she said, and then left without seeing if he dismissed her. He didn't seem to care; his donut was enough company for him.

Outside the Chief's office, the GSPB Headquarters was bustling with activity. As Raharu walked by two officers talking at the water cooler, she heard one of them say, "…and I heard that Atomsk has declared war on Medical Mechanica." _Atomsk? That name sounds familiar…maybe I should've paid more attention in class_ thought Raharu. _But right now I've gotta find…what's his name? Amoro, or something?_ She walked up to one of the computer terminals lining the walls.

"How can I help you?" asked the computer, the words flashing red across the screen.

"Yeah, I'm looking for Officer Amoro," Raharu told the computer.

The computer paused for a second, the words "Please wait" flashing on the screen. Then it said, "Did you mean Officer Amarao?"

"Whatever! Where is he?" she exclaimed. This computer was a piece of junk. She felt like taking out her bass and showing it who was boss, but the computer was suddenly showing a map. There was a little dot labeled "You are Here," and there was a dot labeled "Officer Amarao's Office." Raharu studied it for a second, then walked off in the indicated direction.

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Meanwhile, a very disgruntled-looking man was trying desperately to open a can of soda. He had short, orange hair, very tiny fingernails (hence his current predicament), and no eyebrows. He was concentrating so hard on pulling up that little tab that he didn't even notice Raharu walk up until she was sitting on top of his desk.

"Lemme see that," she said, and she quickly grabbed the can out of his hand. She opened it, took a swig, and handed it back to him.

"Who're you?" he asked, trying to keep his cool. He fumbled around for his sunglasses, then put them on. He wasn't about to take that soda back, though. It wasn't even the right kind of soda. It was sour, and too carbonated anyway.

At this point, Raharu stood on the desk, knocking the can of soda away completely, and lifted her bass above her head. "I am Haruhara Raharu, soon-to-be space cop extraordinaire." She jumped down behind him, forcing him to spin in his chair to see her. "But for now, the Chief told me to tell you to tag along with you."

Amarao seemed surprised, and he lost what little composure he had had. "The Chief thought I was good enough to take on a rookie?" A little late, he tried to maintain some dignity by saying, "I mean, of course he did. It's nice to meet you…Raharu, was it?"

"Yeah." _What's with all the idiots today?_ thought Raharu to herself. "So what do we do?"

Amarao furrowed his brows (or lack thereof), deep in thought, and finally came up with, "We wait for an assignment."

As though on cue, a lady who looked strangely like Miss Happy Pill from the academy came over to Amarao and said, "New assignment from the Chief, sir. Our sensors are picking up a lot of N.O. activity around Stavromula Beta, and we're dispatching a couple of teams to investigate. The Chief thought it would be a good opportunity to test out the new recruit."

"I see." He stood up and asked, "You got a way to travel?"

"Yeah, I've got a vespa. Will that do?"

"Perfectly. I've got one, too. Just follow behind me until we get there," he said, and then headed towards the exit.

Raharu stood up, then followed. They went to an elevator, down five stories, out of the elevator, left, right, left, right, left, left, right, and then through double doors to the garage. Then they wandered around for twenty minutes while Amarao cursed and stomped his foot on the ground, because he couldn't find his vespa.

"Damn it, it was RIGHT HERE!" he screamed. Raharu pointed a finger towards a red vespa in the corner spot.

"Is that it?" she asked.

Amarao, turned red, then purple, then red, then green, before responding weakly, "Uh…yeah, it is." He got on, then said, "You want a ride? There's plenty of room." (A la Kamon)

Raharu whistled, and her yellow vespa came skidding around the corner, screeching to a halt in front of her. "No, that's ok. Just lead on to Stavromu-something, I'll be behind you," she said as she mounted her bike and strapped on her goggles.

"Whatever you say," he said before peeling out, with Raharu right behind him. They flew out of the garage's exit, and out into the stars.

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AN: OK, maybe I'm wrong in assuming that Amarao is a member of the Space Police Brotherhood, but oh well. And I'm pretty sure his vespa is red, but if it isn't, say so and I'll change it. So remember to review!


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